Through The Summer
by sonas76
Summary: Seq.to 'Happy Birthday: Complete Collection'. Slight AU set in the future of the Naruto gang...Whats in store for Sakura and Lee after they begin to date as 38 and 39 year old adults? Probably quite a lot. Will have cameo appearances. SakuraXLee
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer_- I, a lowly fan fiction writer, own Naruto in no way and couldn't even get a glass of water from this story.

_Story notes:_ The following series of short stories takes place after the events in my fan-fic "Happy Birthday"….while I think you could read this on its own; the earlier story sets the stage for the events herein. Also, you will notice several OC's that had to be created to advance the passage of time.

This story takes place when Sakura is 38 and Lee is 39…both have been living lonely 'bachelor' lives, that is until Lee finally got the courage to tell Sakura his feelings about her have NOT changed with the passing years.

Anyway, on with the story…..

**Through The Summer- Ch. 1**

_Rock Lee's Apartment-_

Quite frankly, Lee still couldn't believe that Sakura had said 'yes' to dinner. If nothing more came out of this at least he knew more than 25 years of wishing had finally paid off…although he did hope at least a little more would come out of it. He'd keep that quiet for now.

He went to his closet and pushed back his long row of fatigue pants and spandex shirts. He pulled out a shirt that he thought would make an impression. Contrary to popular belief, he did actually own other clothes. Lee just never got the chance to normally wear them.

Since Sakura had insisted on a casual date, he decided to wear his everyday fatigue pants with his shirt…although he did take the time to put his weights on UNDER his pants legs for once.

_Sakara's Cottage_

Sakura had given her dog, Rin, a pile of toys to try and keep her out of trouble for the night. She feared that since Rin had never really been alone, she might freak out, and Gods know what could happen.

Sakura had a lot of trouble finding something to wear out for the night. Besides going to a restaurant counter to just pick up take out, or grabbing a pastry on the terrace at Reavella's Restaurant, she hadn't been anywhere for years. She had finally settled on a pink dress that looked somewhat dated…but she didn't think that Rock Lee would even notice. Sakura topped it off with some lip gloss she knew to be at LEAST five years old, but it hadn't seemed to have gone bad.

She had drawn the line at wearing any perfume…

Well, it sounded silly, but she thought that might drive poor Rock Lee right over the edge.

Sakura sat on her couch, holding a pink purse and a sweater. At precisely 7pm, Rock Lee Knocked.

_Sushi-Ko Restaurant_

Sakura took a sip of her tea. "Lee, can I ask where you got that shirt?"

Lee sat up straight in his chair. "I bought it on my last mission to the Crescent Moon Kingdom a year ago."

_That would explain why it's so incredibly tropical. _thought Sakura.

While the background color of Lee's short sleeved shirt was Kelly green (naturally) it had a very large allover print of palm fronds and orchids in white and orange. It was loud, but Sakura found herself more bothered by the fact that Lee had it buttoned all the way up.

"Here, let me do something…"she reached across the table and undid his two top buttons and opened his collar more.

Lee looked somewhat uncomfortable as she did it.

"That's a very casual shirt. You shouldn't wear it buttoned all the way…it kind of counteracts the 'casual' part." Sakura took another sip of tea and glanced at her open menu. She knew what she wanted already, but it gave her a chance to covertly glance at Lee's neck. "It's much better now."

_Wow, he has a 'bull neck'…solid muscle. I would have never guessed._

Lee was smiling. "Thank you! I was not sure about that earlier tonight. I rarely get to wear anything but a uniform. But you know how that feels."

Sakura gave a chuckle at this. "Yes, it seems like if I'm not wearing my uniform, I'm just wearing pajamas. Isn't working life grand?"

"I love my job." Lee laid his menu at the edge of the table. "I can't wait to get to my team every day."

"Tell me about them."

She would have never expected it, but she found herself completely drawn into Lee's stories of his students and all they had been through together. Most of all, he seemed so comfortable and in 'his element'. The goofy young Lee she had remembered was absent. Yes, he was obviously enthused, but he wasn't yelling anything about 'youth' or crying. You could actually sit across from him and enjoy the conversation.

_Why have I never noticed that you grew up?_

She smiled at this thought.

_Because I was too busy feeling sorry for myself._

"I have been going on long enough!" Lee poked at a piece of sashimi. "Tell me about your job. It must be indefinitely more interesting than mine!"

Sakura certainly wasn't sure about that, but she did talk, and Lee appeared to be actually interested. He even asked questions in pertinent places. As he leaned an arm on the table, Sakura's mind wondered for a moment as his short sleeve crept up his arm.

_Holy biceps!_

Lee had insisted on paying, and Sakura had let him. They took the long way back to her cottage, not saying much…just enjoying the spring evening and some human companionship.

When they got to her porch, Lee spoke up. "I had a wonderful evening. Would you like to go out again sometime soon?"

_Why not?_

"Y'know, I'd like that a lot, Lee. Give me a call this week and we'll make plans."

Lee did not get to sleep until after 2am that morning. He just lay in bed and replayed every moment of the night in his head…and smiled like a lunatic.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer_- I, a lowly fan fiction writer, own Naruto in no way and couldn't even get a glass of water from this story.

_Story notes:_ The following series of short stories takes place after the events in my fan-fic "Happy Birthday"….while I think you could read this on its own; the earlier story sets the stage for the events herein. Also, you will notice several OC's that had to be created to advance the passage of time.

This story takes place when Sakura is 38 and Lee is 39…both have been living lonely 'bachelor' lives, that is until Lee finally got the courage to tell Sakura his feelings about her have NOT changed with the passing years.

Anyway, on with the story…..

**Through The Summer- Ch. 2**

Nara Residence

Shikamaru and Lee sat quietly on the bench in the north field watching the twins try to beat each other into pulp. The only time when Shikamaru showed any concern was when Asuma tried to brain Showtaro with a rather large hunk of rock.

The younger man fished another cigarette out of his utility vest.

"Well Lee," Shikamaru lit his cigarette and blew a large puff of smoke over his head, "I have to say this has gone a lot better than I thought it would."

"Yes." Said Lee, "I never thought that I would say this, but I am glad that Gai-sensai is off on his motivational book tour, otherwise I would have gone to him for advice on Sakura."

Shikamaru smirked. "Thank the Gods for small miracles. He would have meant well and all that…but using ANY approach he would have recommended on a woman would have gotten you kicked in the balls…So, our little Sakura agreed to a third date?"

Lee beamed. "Yes, we are going for a walk and then to the teahouse."

"Oh boy," Shikamaru laughed, "You know that all the town hens are going to start talking now, very troublesome. Then again, I figured out pretty quickly that all of them must have convened some sort of a 'war party' to try and get the two of you together in the first place. It's driving Ino mad that I won't tell her a damn thing you've said. I've had half the stuff in my house thrown at me this week in rage."

"I am sorry about that, friend."

Shikamaru took another drag. "No worries. The insane 'make up sex' is well worth it."

Lee blushed.

Ms. Pretty Thing Clothing Studio, Konoha

Sakura held up piece after piece of clothing against herself in the mirror. Every time she thought she had something that 'worked' it turned out that she couldn't quite find either a top or bottom that went with it.

_I never in a million years thought that I would find myself shopping for clothes to wear out with Rock Lee, of all people._

Not that it had been bad…actually she had found herself enjoying these little dates. But the last time they had gone out (to the movies, it had been a so-so comedy) she had been rather self-conscious of her outfit. It was in decent shape, but was over a decade old. It was so easy to buy her uniforms and pajamas. The hospital had a three times a year sale in its basement and her massive pajama collection came from the 'Pajama Universe' catalog.

Just fill out an order slip, PJ's in a week. Life got even better when they started selling underwear and socks a few years back.

Evidently her indecision had not gone unnoticed; a clerk came over and began to look through the piles of clothes Sakura had been sorting through.

He was a kid of about 22, bone thin and sporting a curious haircut in which a large silk peony sat.

"Hmmmph." He crossed his arms. "You are just going to NEED so much help." He stuck out a hand sporting a very large emerald cocktail ring. "I'm Botan."

"Thank you, I guess." Sakura shook the young man's hand, which he then grabbed with his other in an oddly over friendly way. "And I'm Sakura."

"Ohhhhhhhhh. That's lovely…I don't get many ladies of your age in the shop."

Sakura was quiet.

"I don't know WHY. I guess everyone just wants to fit into that 'mom mold' once they hit 30. I say 'Have fun'. Do you like FUN?" Sakura could now notice that Botan was wearing silver eye shadow.

"Sure, sure I like fun."

Botan unclasped her hand, "WONDERFUL!"

The next thing Sakura knew, she was being dressed up like she was the biggest fashion doll that ever existed. There were sundresses in every hue, swirling skirts and tiny sweaters. Tights covered in photo-printed wild flowers, pants embroidered with seashells, little metallic ballerina shoes…and of course accessories. Lots of accessories, everything from wooden bracelets to handbags made of feathers.

It actually was 'Fun'.

As Botan finished wrapping her purchases he turned to her, "So Sakura, I HAVE to know, when did you start a new relationship?"

"You could tell that?"

Botan sighed, "Pleeeaase, of course I could tell….so who is it, I'm dying to know?!?"

"You probably don't know him."

"You'd be SURPRISED."

"His name is Rock Lee-"

"The 'baseball man'and instructor!" Botan shrieked. "Oh, my! Aren't you the LUCKY one! Did you ever see him out running around Konoha in shorts and a racer back tank top?!" Botan grabbed the front of his shirt and waved it in and out. "Mercy! Oh, he's just so fit."

Sakura stammered a bit, "I suppose so. He does work out quite a lot."

Botan handed her several shopping bags. "Ohhhhhh, you can tell, Cherry Blossom, you can tell. Makes me wish I was young enough to join the athletic league."

Sakura giggled a little bit as she went out the shop door.

Botan yelled "Don't do anything I wouldn't!" and gave her a big wink as she untied her dog's leash from a tree.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer_- I, a lowly fan fiction writer, own Naruto in no way and couldn't even get a glass of water from this story.

_Story notes:_ The following series of short stories takes place after the events in my fan-fic "Happy Birthday"….while I think you could read this on its own; the earlier story sets the stage for the events herein. Also, you will notice several OC's that had to be created to advance the passage of time.

This story takes place when Sakura is 38 and Lee is 39…both have been living lonely 'bachelor' lives, that is until Lee finally got the courage to tell Sakura his feelings about her have NOT changed with the passing years.

**To Clarify A Few Points**: A reader who did not get the chance to read the first story asked me why baseball was referenced in a chapter of this story in regards to Lee. As a lonely guy, and someone who takes physical education seriously, Lee started a youth baseball league in Konoha for students. If this story had been set in the USA (where I am from), I would have used soccer. It's HUGE here for school kids. Being that Naruto is in an AU Japan, I chose baseball. Why? Because school baseball is practically a religion there, and has its own manga sub-culture.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

Anyway, on with the story…..

**Through The Summer- Ch. 3**

Sakura had changed from her uniform in the hospital locker room into a cap sleeved dress with a matching headband that Botan had picked out for her. Several of the nurses stared at her as she went to leave the building. There was definitely going to be talk now…

_Let them talk._ Thought Sakura. _Maybe now at least it won't be about how 'The Head Nin' is a pitiful, lonely loser._

As she had agreed to, Sakura picked up her dog and walked to the Academy to meet Lee. On her way there, several people seemed to stop in their tracks to look at her.

_Did I REALLY let myself go that badly before that now everyone is going to stare at me?_

Sakura supposed that she had. No matter. That was all changing now.

She found Team Lee on the outskirts of the training grounds. Evidently they were having a verbal round-up of the days training. Sakura hung back and looked at Lee's students…he had discussed them many times with her. She felt like she had knew them in and out due to Lee's vivid descriptions.

There was Koto, who bore so much resemblance to her father Shikamaru, dressed all in black with her gothic makeup and ink dyed hair. Lee was right…There probably was a very beautiful girl under all that. Why did she hide it? As for Anko and Ikru's daughter, Iori, Sakura had not seen her since she had delivered her in the hospital years ago. From a screaming bald baby, she had grown into a teenager who did indeed fit Lee's description of 'cute and perky'. Sakura knew Choji and Reavella's son, Gianni, for years but had not seen him in months because of his training. He had gone from the pudgy, fat faced kid she had known to a teenage giant. Hard training had gotten rid of his gut and given him muscle.

_Wow, he'll be a village heartbreaker before we know it…_

She smiled remembering the story Lee had told her about breaking Gianni off chips and pastries. The poor kid had gone through the heavy withdrawal of a drug addict. Gianni had experienced sweats and everything. It was so bad at one point that Lee thought he might have to hospitalize the boy.

Evidently Lee was finished with his team now and he walked over to Sakura.

"I am a bit mud covered." He held out his filthy hands. "Would you mind waiting a moment until I run into the Academy and get cleaned up?"

"On, no, Lee. Go right ahead."

And Lee did indeed run. The man was almost a blur.

Sakura noticed the team lingering instead of heading home. Not wanting to appear awkward or standoffish, she gave them a little wave and a 'Hello'.

Iori instantly ran over to her, ponytails bouncing in the air. "Is this your dog?"

Rin rapidly wagged her little stump of a tail and stood at the end of her leash. Iori kneeled on the ground and scratched the little dog's ears. Rin became even more excited.

"No, that's my cat."

Iori looked up at her strangely.

"That was a joke!"

"Oh! I get it!" The girl laughed. "Come see this dog, guys!"

The rest of Team Lee came over to Sakura and Rin.

Koto also petted the dog and commented on its unusual color. Gianni just stood with his arms crossed watching the girls.

Iori INSISTED on picking Rin up and holding her, Sakura had no objections. And Rin was loving every bit of the extra attention, she covered Iori in 'puppy kisses'.

Sakura turned to Gianni. "Well, look at you! I would have never guessed you'd be a hunk someday!"

Gianni blushed. "Aw."

"No, really, you look great. Must be all the training, huh?"

"It's really paying off now," Gianni now looked shyly proud. "Nobody calls me 'fat boy' anymore."

Lee came running up to the group wearing yet another tropical shirt, this one decorated with large scarlet hibiscus flowers warring against the green background.

Sakura smirked. "Did you also get that shirt in the Crescent Moon Kingdom?"

Koto rolled her eyes. "He got us ALL one of those shirts when we were there."

"Mine has rainbows on it!" Iori loudly chirped.

"Someday soon we must pick a day and wear them as a group!" Lee said.

Koto whispered, "Let's not." Lee did not seem to hear her.

"Team, I will see you bright and early tomorrow. Make sure you have everything packed, we will not be coming back for anything once we are on the road."

_A Short Time Later, At The Teahouse_

"I am sorry, Sakura, we did not get the mission scroll until today." Lee sipped his tea.

"That's OK, Lee. I know how this business is….where will you and the Team be going?"

"It is just a short mission to the Sand. The Kazekage will be receiving diplomats; our orders are to guard his son."

"Is it true that the Sound still has a bounty out on Gaara after the last war?" asked Sakura.

"Yes." Lee looked serious. "That is exactly why we are going. Gaara can care for himself. However, he recognizes that his son is a potential target."

"Hn. I was in 'the rear with the gear' for the last Sound War. From a med-nin perspective, I've never seen anything so inhumane and senseless."

Lee was quiet.

"Just from the injuries I treated…Well, I can imagine what you went through on the front line."

"Can we please talk about something else, something pleasant?" Lee looked strangely upset.

"Sure, sure." Sakura remembered that Lee, among others, had needed to be treated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the war. She felt very embarrassed. "Do you have someone covering your Youth Baseball League while you're away?"

Lee brightened. "I think I found just the man to do it."


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer_- I, a lowly fan fiction writer, own Naruto in no way and couldn't even get a glass of water from this story.

_Story notes:_ The following series of short stories takes place after the events in my fan-fic "Happy Birthday"….while I think you could read this on its own; the earlier story sets the stage for the events herein. Also, you will notice several OC's that had to be created to advance the passage of time.

This story takes place when Sakura is 38 and Lee is 39…both have been living lonely 'bachelor' lives, that is until Lee finally got the courage to tell Sakura his feelings about her have NOT changed with the passing years.

Anyway, on with the story…

**Through The Summer – Ch. 4**

_**Lee's Apartment**_

Sakura jingled Lee's keys in her hand as she walked to his apartment. What he needed so many for was an absolute mystery, there had to be at least 25. The whole bundle was held together with a well worn leather key ring that looked like it had been made by a child. She felt the 'L' embossed into it with her thumb as she entered his building.

It took several minutes to figure out what key opened his door, and the curiosity was killing her! While Lee had been to her cottage many times (almost always to fix something for her), she had never been to his apartment. Heck, she hadn't known what street he lived on until recently. How did this man live day to day?

When she did manage to get the door open, she learned the answer immediately. Very, VERY cleanly.

_He must think I'm an utter slob!_

The small apartment practically sparkled. The furniture was modern and completely lint, stain and pet hair free. Precise rows of pictures in matching frames decorated the pale green walls and a neat shelved desk held labeled file boxes.

_If Lee saw my desk at work, he'd crap his pants! Hell, I crap MY pants when I look at it!_

Sakura quickly spotted the reason Lee had asked her to come over while he was away. A small glass table sat under a window holding three precious bonsai trees, she was to be their 'babysitter'…'treesitter'? Why not something normal, like a fish? She shrugged. Trees were probably a lot harder to kill when you were away with your team at least…or have someone else kill.

A few step down the small hallway was the kitchen (also painfully neat, and a quick look in the cupboards revealed that Lee owned NICE matching dishes). On the counter by the sink Sakura found a tiny watering can and a list of instructions in Lee's perfect handwriting.

On her way back to the living room, Sakura noticed the door in the hallway.

_Should I?_

She slid it back and poked her head inside.

Lee's bedroom didn't have piles of clothes on the floor (like hers) or blankets heaped and twisted in whatever shape they had made during the night (although she preferred her bed that way). Like the rest of the apartment, that she had seen at least, it was clean and looked almost unlived in. A single mattress sat on a platform in a corner and a large dresser and mirror anchored another wall. The only other thing of interest was what appeared to be a large (closed) closet.

Her interest satisfied for the moment, Sakura went back to her work.

The chore turned out not to be as simple as she had planned. Besides just watering the trees, they had to be rotated in slight increments for even growth and the cedar needed a copper support wire tugged down to what Sakura judged was the width of a human hair.

When she was finished, Sakura gave a large frustrated sigh. That was when she noticed one of the framed photographs near her.

_That was when Naruto, Lee and I went on that mission to the Crescent Moon Kingdom…Gods? How MANY years ago was that?_

She looked at her younger bikini clad self enjoying taffy from a beach shop as Naruto made a face for the camera (held by Kakashi, as she remembered) and Lee sat shyly, looking out of place in a bathing suit.

_Was I really that girl? All I thought life was back then was sparkly lip gloss and hot boys._

She held the watering can and scowled.

_Yeah, what do you know at that age? You think you know EVERYTHING, but it's really NOTHING. It never pops into your little mind that the cute boys just might give you a few good jack-booted kicks to the mid-section and the sparkly lip gloss contains some cyanide…_

The scowl dropped and she shrugged.

It was at moments like this that she was very glad to be a grown up.

_In the Dunes Outside the Sand Village_

Gaara had ordered Team Lee to take his son covertly to the outskirts of the village for the night while he gave an obligatory dinner for the visiting diplomats.

Lee wondered how much of the order had been for the boy's safety… and how much of it had been for the child's amusement. Frankly, the child seemed so elated to have company that this was nothing but a 'sleepover' to him. Maybe little Tomi had requested Team Lee specifically to guard him was because it was an excuse to have friends over. The boy was kept under close watch at all times in the village and had never traveled outside of it because of potential assassination attempts.

Lee poked at the little campfire.

He knew the Kazekage meant well, but Tomi was at the age (eight) when he needed friendship and a sense of adventure.

Lee looked at the group of three teenagers and one boy sitting on the edge of a dune just a few meters away, watching the moon rise. Tomi was peppering his Team with questions about what he saw as the extreme excitement of their everyday lives. He was proud to see Gianni, Koto and Iori treating Tomi like he was their own teammate or little brother.

_They really are good kids._

He felt the pride well up in him. It was like watching your own kids grow and become fine adults. Lee poked at the fire again. Who knew? Maybe he would have his own kids someday. He'd always thought when he was younger that he'd have settled down by now and have a few of his own. Life had just taken some odd turns on him that he'd never expected.

_Never say never. Life could have some more turns in store for you, good ones._

Lee smiled. He knew that to be true since Sakura had come to see him off on his mission a few days ago and had ACTUALLY kissed him on the cheek as he left the village gate.

He was broken off from that happy thought by Tomi's request for some of 'Uncle Lee's' stories of youthful adventure.


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer_- I, a lowly fan fiction writer, own Naruto in no way and couldn't even get a glass of water from this story.

_Story notes:_ The following series of short stories takes place after the events in my fan-fic "Happy Birthday"….while I think you could read this on its own; the earlier story sets the stage for the events herein. Also, you will notice several OC's that had to be created to advance the passage of time.

This story takes place when Sakura is 38 and Lee is 39…both have been living lonely 'bachelor' lives, that is until Lee finally got the courage to tell Sakura his feelings about her have NOT changed with the passing years.

Anyway, on with the story…

**Through The Summer Ch. 5**

Team Lee had been gone about a week and a half when Sakura got a pleasant surprise.

She had been in her office at the Hospital on her Saturday off desperately trying to finish translating an enormous pile of old medical scrolls. She was lost in thought when a very loud and rude sounding knock on her door disturbed her. Sakura had Rin's leash tied to a desk leg and the little dog went berserk at the sound. In her hurry to get to the door, she momentarily got caught in the leash and almost knocked over a rack of vials.

"Just a minute!" Sakura yelled angrily.

She threw open the door expecting to see Hospital personnel, and instead had to look downward at a set of 11 year old twin boys.

_The Nara brothers…_

Hopefully, they weren't armed with slingshots or bags of flaming dog crap. They were such lovely kids.

"We gotta delivery for Haruno, Sakura from the Yamanaka Flower Shop." said a boy holding a large vase of blossoming peach branches.

The other boy (this one had written 'I HATE my job' on his apron with a marker) nudged his brother hard and added, "Our mom tried to call your house, but didn't get anyone. She said these are pretty expensive, so we shouldn't leave them on your porch."

Sakura took the vase. "That was very thoughtful to bring them here."

_Ino's probably been on the phone to half the town by now to tell them who got flowers from Lee…_She thought._ Let 'piggy' have a good gab._

The boys stood still for a moment.

"Are we getting a tip or not?" they said in unison.

Not having any cash on her, Sakura gave them handfuls of free drug company pens and blocks of stick-it notes.

When she left hours later, she really wasn't surprised to find a stick-it with the word 'ASS' on her office door. That actually seemed pretty mild for the Nara brothers.

As she walked out of the Hospital with her flowers and dog, a thought that was both hilarious and tragic gave her a vivid mental picture…The twins, about adult age, standing in the pouring rain outside the village gates with raised fists yelling in unison above the thunder, "Kick us outta your town will ya!?!"

Sakura was taking the long way home to both enjoy the late afternoon sunshine and give Rin a chance to pee when she heard a booming rap on glass. A glance to the other side of the street revealed Botan waving wildly from the glass showcase of his dress shop. She smiled and crossed the street.

"Come on in!" Botan yelled to her from inside the showcase.

Sakura went to tie Rin to a post.

"I'm closed right now! You can bring her in!"

She walked into the shop as a mildly distressed Botan crawled out of his showcase. "I was just finishing my 'Summer Preview' display and thinking about some tea when I saw you walking up the street." Botan said excitedly."Would you care to keep this HIDEOUS man company for a bit?"

Sakura sat her flowers on his sales counter. "Hideous? You look fine to me."

Botan grabbed her shoulders. "BLESS YOU! Oh, you really are too sweet…I feel like such a HAG these past few days. All the new stock is coming in and I have to get it out." He let her go. "The lack of sleep has really messed with my complexion."

"No, you really do look fine."

Botan laid a hand on his chest. "With that, I have to get out the REALLY good tea for you."

In ten minutes, Sakura and Botan were sitting on plush fitting room chairs around a little tea cart Botan had stocked with fine china and, as promised, good tea.

"You HAVE to tell me, the flowers are from your boyfriend, aren't they?" Botan sat on the edge of his seat.

Sakura paused for a moment. "Yes, he's on a mission right now…I guess he arranged for them to be delivered before he left."

Botan sighed. "Don't tell me you're afraid of the word 'boyfriend'!"

"Don't you think it's a little soon for that?"

Botan sat his tea cup down. "Was there a note with the flowers?"

"Yes." Sakura blushed a bit.

"WELL, hand it over and I'll TELL you if you have a boyfriend." He extended a hand and shook his fingers at her.

Sakura fished in her jacket pocket and found the little note that had been included with the peach blossoms. She had taken it off the arrangement just in case any nosy nurses had decided to stop by her office after the delivery.

Botan took it from her hand. "Nice handwriting…" He held it up closer. "My Dearest Sakura…hmmmm, 'Dearest'…" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Hopefully when you receive this little gift, I will be at the halfway point of my mission. Please know that I am thinking of you always and look forward to my return. With Deep Regard and Affection, Lee."

Botan held the card to his chest and sighed deeply. "An old fashioned man… Be STILL my heart!"

Sakura gave an embarrassed little chuckle.

"PLEASE, if you don't think you have a boyfriend, well, then you're just INSANE." He handed the card back to her. "Oh, just go for it. It's rare to see this depth of feeling anymore. You DEFINITELY have a boyfriend."

She sighed. "You're just a kid, really. How can you judge that?"

"How OLD do you think I am?"

"21, 22 at the most."

For a second Sakura thought Botan would jump up and hug her. "I LOVE you! I'll be 32 this fall! All that skin care is REALLY paying dividends!" He ran a hand across his cheek. "But back to you, just go for it!"

"I don't know…"

"Just LISTEN to me. Give it a chance…at least have a good fling! He's obviously NUTS about you. Make it something you can look back on when you're old and grey."

Sakura laughed.

"No, REALLY. Forget all those other men who've done you wrong, Lord KNOWS I have enough of them in my past, and just enjoy the present. Why not get some JOY out of life?"

"Do you really think I should…just go with it?"

"Why not? You're a great person; let good things happen to you."

_Yes, why not?_ Sakura drank the rest of her tea feeling validated for the first time in years.


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer_- I, a lowly fan fiction writer, own Naruto in no way and couldn't even get a glass of water from this story.

_Story notes:_ The following series of short stories takes place after the events in my fan-fic "Happy Birthday"….while I think you could read this on its own; the earlier story sets the stage for the events herein. Also, you will notice several OC's that had to be created to advance the passage of time.

This story takes place when Sakura is 38 and Lee is 39…both have been living lonely 'bachelor' lives, that is until Lee finally got the courage to tell Sakura his feelings about her have NOT changed with the passing years.

Anyway, on with the story…

**Through The Summer- Ch. 6**

Sand Village, Fortress of the Kazekage

Lee watched as his friend, Gaara, toyed with his collection of Sound Village skulls on pikes that 'decorated' one of the overlooks of his fortress. In the distance, he could hear his students training with Tomi.

"Your glasses are coming off…" Gaara reset the broken glasses upon the remains and gave it a pat on top of its fleshless head. "Really, if this keeps happening, I'm going to have to nail them back on you…kind of like I did when you were alive." A smile crept across the Kazekage's angular face.

Lee was getting uncomfortable. "We were discussing my team leaving tonight…"

Gaara continued gazing at the skull. "Already?"

"Yes, our plan was to leave by this date, I would not like to keep my student's parents waiting any longer."

"Isn't is obvious, Gaara, Lee wants to return home to his sweetheart." The Kazekage's second wife said suddenly behind Lee.

Lee was momentarily startled. The utterly silent arrivals of the Lady were something he had never gotten used to. "Kasumi-hime! How long have you been here?" She walked past Lee without ever even giving him a glance.

"Long enough." Kasumi-hime crossed the stone floor of the overlook with an almost floating grace. Lee knew that she was counting the steps to where she had last heard her husband's voice. The Lady had been sightless since birth. "Really, the mission is complete, let the man go home."

Kasumi-hime stopped a foot from where Gaara still held a Sound skull. "Get the pout off your face…"

Gaara pouted more. "I'm not pouting."

"Like Hell you aren't! I'm the last one you can try to pull that on! While I've enjoyed having real company while those groveling diplomats were here, they have fulfilled their contract."

Kasumi-hime sat down on the stone wall next to her husband. "Besides like I said, Lee has to get home to his sweetheart."

Gaara polished the skull with the sleeve of his tunic. "When's the wedding?"

Lee was momentarily taken aback. "I hardly think anything has progressed that far!"

Gaara folded his arms and laughed. "You're not getting any younger. And considering that you've chased after this woman half your life, just get it over with. Get married."

Kasumi-hime nodded. "Gaara, as always I appreciate your bluntness."

"Friends or not, the two of you will drive me insane!" Lee sighed. "We should leave here after nightfall. It will make us harder to track."

"I will have the maids prepare something special then…you realize, Lee, that Tomi will be heartbroken that you are taking his 'girlfriend' Iori away." Kasumi-hime smiled.

"I hardly think that an 8 year old would consider a 14 year old to be his girlfriend, he's just infatuated because Iori saved him from that poisoned gift." Gaara pouted again.

"I'm telling both of you right now that Iori is going to be my daughter in law someday. Just make sure YOU get married to Sakura before that happens, Lee." Kasumi-hime tilted her head to listen to the children.

Konoha- Two Days Later

Sakura didn't need to start at the Hospital for another few hours, so she decided to take Rin out for a walk and stop by Lee's place to check on his Bonsai trees.

_I can't believe I kept the things ALIVE! The trees still even look good._

Besides, it gave her a chance to look around Lee's place a little more. She hadn't imagined 'snooping' around in another person's things before, but her curiosity had gotten the best of her early on into taking responsibility for Lee's place while he was gone.

Sakura had read almost all of his complied poetry from the years and could probably finish it before work today if she tried. What had shocked her was that Lee actually WAS a very good poet…and well, that all the poems that revolved around her were just so romantic.

_If he had sent me one of those when we were younger, I think we'd have been together a lot sooner in life._

Sakura was also shocked how much those poems had made her miss Lee, not that she didn't already miss him. They had just added to the…

'_Longing'? Am I REALLY feeling 'longing'?_

…_yes, longing for him to return. I really am. And you know, it's a good feeling. I AM just going to allow myself to enjoy what I have with him._

Sakura tied Rin to a phone pole outside Lee's apartment building and went inside. She had started to go into the kitchen to get the watering can when she swore she heard the sink running in the bathroom.

_Did I leave that on the last time I was here!?! Lee's water bill will be AWFUL!_

Sakura threw the bathroom door open.

Rock Lee stood stunned, tooth brush in mouth, with only a towel around his waist.

_GOOD GODS! _Sakura's brain spun._ When did he start looking like that under that hideous green uniform?_

Sakura could only gawk. Lee stood stone still, toothbrush still in mouth, blushing terribly.

"LEE!"

"Sakura." Lee said around the brush.

"IcametowateryourtreebutthenIheardwaterinhereandthoughtohmyGodsLee'sgoingtokillmewhenhegetathewaterbilImustnothaveturneditoffwhenIwasinthebathroomthelasttime…"

Lee cut her off. "Calm down, Sakura. I have not even been home a half hour! I was just getting cleaned up before going in for a mission de-briefing. You did not leave any water on or anything." Still blushing, Lee grabbed another towel and draped it over his upper body. "If you wait out in the living room I'll get dressed."

Sakura silently closed the door and went to sit on the sofa. Her brain was still spinning. She'd thought that Botan had been exaggerating (and Botan tended to exaggerate about everything and anything) when he had said that Lee was 'hot'. No wonder Botan liked to watch Lee jog in a tank top. And now she'd gotten almost the entire 'show'…

Lee came into the living room minutes later dressed in his normal fatigue pants and green spandex shirt, looking a little embarrassed.

"I am sorry; I should have called to let you know I was back."

"It's OK, Lee. And I really shouldn't just fling doors open in someone else's house! Welcome back by the way!" Sakura smiled.

"It is good to be home…" Lee hesitated. "I missed you very much."

That made Sakura's heart leap a little. "I missed you too." Sakura stood up and kissed him right on the mouth.

When she pulled back, Lee was the one looking stunned and speechless.

"I have to go and give my report…tonight we are having a 'welcome home dinner' at Gianni's mother's restaurant, will you come with me?" Stammered Lee.

"I'm off at 6pm, pick me up at the Hospital."

Sakura actually appreciated the slack-jawed looks of the nurses when Rock Lee (wearing a sedate sports shirt instead of one of the 'tropical nightmare' shirts he considered casual wear) escorted her out of her office.

_Now I'm REALLY gossip fuel._

She wrapped her arm around his very visible bicep and smiled at everyone as she left the Hospital.

Reavella's Restaurant

As Lee had promised her, Reavella went completely overboard with dinner. She considered every mission that her son's team returned from to be some sort of miracle.

Gianni poured another cup of sake for Sakura.

"That's really amazing, Iori…" Sakura took a sip. "How in the world did you guess the toy was poisoned?"

The girls ponytails bounced. "Oh, it was nothing, EVERYONE knows Tako-bears fur is GREEN not ORANGE. The second I saw that doll, I knew SOMETHING was wrong with it."

Lee fairly beamed. "I would not have known. That is the kind of quick thinking I expect of my Team!" He gave her a 'thumbs up'.

Iori gave it right back. Sakura was pleased to see that Lee didn't cry or say any 'Gai-isms'. He just genuinely seemed to be proud of his students.

Koto rolled her eyes a bit. "I really need to get back home. Can we call it a night?"

"Yes, it is rather late." Lee looked at his watch. "Excellent work, Team, I will see you in the morning…Sakura, may I walk you back home?"


End file.
